"The commotion over there is massive," iser remarked, glancing at the distant tower.
He had witnessed Zoro's battle firsthand.
There was no denying it—Zoro's swordsmanship was truly formidable. Even that so-called legendary swordsman was no match for him.
"What are you looking at?"
Oars curiously followed iser's gaze but saw nothing unusual.
"Nothing much. Just checking on my crewmates' fights," iser replied.
Zoro's battle had already ended, so it was ti for him to pick up the pace.
With that thought, iser swept his eyes over the Grass Sword at his waist and drew it in one swift motion.
Clang—
The gleaming edge of the blade imdiately caught Oars' attention.
"Whoa... that's one cool sword!"
How had he not noticed such an aweso weapon hanging at iser's side earlier?
"Impressive, right?" iser grinned. "This is the famous Grass Sword—it can channel Chakra and amplify its wielder's abilities."
Thanks to the Expansion Technique, the sword had grown along with him!
Truly, the Akimichi Clan's Secret Techniques were sothing else.
Oars tilted his head, blinking in confusion before scratching his scalp. "Huh?"
Clearly, this simple-minded giant hadn't understood a word iser said.
What was this "Chakra" thing? And what about the sword?
"What I an is... I'm about to use it to cut you down!" iser flashed a sharp grin. "Better watch yourself, big guy!"
Oars frowned at that. If his opponent had a weapon, he was at a disadvantage without one.
He began scanning the area for sothing he could use, but nothing suitable ca to mind.
"Hold on, let just—"
"Who said anything about waiting?!"
iser roared, charging forward and swinging his massive blade with full force.
"Damn it!"
Oars bellowed, raising his right arm to block the strike.
Clang!
"Huh?"
"Your bones are that tough?"
iser's expression shifted as he stared at Oars, who had effortlessly stopped his attack. He hadn't expected the Grass Sword to fail against him.
"Seems like without Wind Style Chakra enhancing it, the sword's power drops significantly..." iser muttered.
"Huh? Weird... that didn't hurt at all," Oars mused, eyeing iser as if puzzled by his ineffective strike.
"Don't get cocky." iser retracted the blade. "I've got other tricks."
The mont he spoke, he thrust the sword straight toward Oars' chest!
Again, Oars raised his arm to block—but this ti, it didn't work.
The razor-sharp Grass Sword pierced through part of his arm muscle, slipped between his ribs, and impaled him clean through!
Then, with a powerful kick, iser sent Oars crashing onto his back, pinning him to the ground with the sword.
Staring down at the immobilized giant, iser smirked. "The sa move won't work twice, Oars."
As he spoke, his gaze flickered toward the seaside.
"Alright. Ti to get to work."
"Even though you're a zombie and won't die from being chopped to pieces... if I throw you into the sea, purifying you would have the sa effect."
During the earlier battle, iser had tried to drive this guy toward the shore, but Oars' strength was formidable—it wasn't sothing he could accomplish easily.
So, iser changed his approach, deciding to try a different thod.
"The sea?"
"No way, I'm a landlubber..." Oars paused mid-sentence, then lowered his head and muttered, "Huh?!"
"Am I a landlubber?"
He vaguely rembered being a landlubber, but then again, maybe not...
iser's lips twitched in irritation. There had to be a limit to this stupidity, damn it!
With a cold snort, iser set his sights on Oars' legs.
"Hey, what are you planning?" Oars asked, instinctively tightening his legs when he noticed iser's unsettling gaze.
"Of course, I'm going to break your legs first," iser replied. "To keep you from thrashing around, I made sure to pin you to the ground."
As he spoke, iser raised his long leg. "First, I'll break your legs, then toss you into the sea to be purified."
With Oars pinned down like this, snapping his legs would be child's play!
"Dammit, let go!" Oars shouted, struggling to get up. But with iser holding him down, he couldn't even stand.
"Keep dreaming!"
With that, iser aid a vicious stomp at Oars' joints, intending to shatter his legs.
Even if this stomp didn't break them outright, it would at least deal significant damage to the joints!
Just then, a shadow surged forward, transforming in an instant into an enormous black curtain.
"Shadow Curtain!!"
"Whoosh—"
"CRASH!!"
iser's foot slamd into the shadow, distorting and warping it until it finally shattered.
But thanks to the cushioning effect, Oars' legs remained intact.
Recognizing the familiar shadow, iser frowned. "Moria?"
"Gehihihihi! Can't let you wreck my Oars like that!"
"Gehihihihi!"
Moria appeared nearby, laughing heartily as he watched iser, his gaze growing increasingly pleased.
"What's with that look?" iser snapped. "And what did you do to Luffy?!"
Luffy had gone after this guy, but now Moria was here... Did that an Luffy had been defeated?
iser's peripheral vision flicked to Oars—still alive and kicking, which ant Luffy wasn't dead.
Good, as long as he's alive!
"Dammit, let go!!"
"Stay down!" iser barked, stomping on Oars to pin him firmly to the ground.
"Gehihihihi, so violent," Moria remarked. "Don't worry, your captain's fine."
"As for where that guy is, I don't know—I couldn't find him either."
Earlier, he had searched the forest for any sign of the Straw Hat Boy but ca up empty-handed, much to his frustration.
Then, he noticed his precious Oars was getting beaten badly by iser, so he rushed over here first.
The outco was Oars being pinned to the ground by iser, even about to have his legs broken, forcing Moria to intervene.
"Couldn't find him..."
iser glanced in the direction where Luffy had just disappeared—the temporary base built by Lola and her group was that way... Could Luffy have been taken by them?
Otherwise, given Luffy's personality, he'd definitely be shouting through the forest searching for Moria's trail.
Heh, seems like Luffy might give that fat garlic head a surprise later.
"Kid, I ca to ask you one thing," Moria said, looking up at iser. "Will you beco my subordinate?"
"If you join my crew, I'm willing to release your friends' Shadows and let them leave safely."
"And don't worry—I won't treat you as a tool. I'll genuinely care for you."
Moria's expression was utterly serious as he spoke these words.
He ant it. If iser joined his crew, he'd treat him like family.
"You, who love playing with Zombies, actually care about subordinates?" iser mocked.
Moria fell silent for a mont before letting out a self-deprecating laugh. "You might not believe it, but it's precisely because I care about my subordinates that I'm so obsessed with creating Zombies."
After what happened years ago, Moria never wanted to see comrades die before him again.
That's why, all these years later, only three living people remained by his side.
As for Zombies—even if they were destroyed, they could always be remade. So he felt no loss.
Taking a deep breath, Moria added, "I'm telling the truth. You can even ask Perona and the others."
"That little Ghost girl..."
An image of the girl surfaced in iser's mind. From her behavior, she seed like nothing more than a mischievous brat with no real bloodlust.
iser pondered—her personality was likely because Moria had sheltered her too well, possibly even raising her like a daughter.
But... none of this was reason enough to convince him!
"What's your answer?"
"I refuse!"
"Refuse?!" Moria was stunned. "I'm one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, and you won't even think it over before rejecting ?"
His expression darkened as he glared into iser's eyes. "Kid, you do know the consequences of refusing , right?"
"I'm giving you one last chance—"
"Save it, Moria," iser cut him off. "A man who's lost his ambition has no right to speak to like this."
"In my eyes, you're far inferior to Luffy."
"Light-years behind!"
"You bastard! Where is that brat better than ?!" Moria snapped, as if provoked. "Just so rookie with a 400 million Bounty—how dare you say I'm worse?!"
"A coward who's lost his spirit—how could you even compare to Luffy?"
iser's eyes flashed as he roared, "MORIA!"
"LUFFY IS THE MAN WHO WILL BECO THE KING OF THE PIRATES!!"
iser's voice carried far across the island, reaching almost everyone present.
The mbers of the Straw Hat Pirates all grinned when they heard these words because... this was sothing they all agreed with!
"Pirate King...?"
Standing atop the high tower, Kuma looked at iser, who had shouted those words, and suddenly laughed.
Dragon's son... truly has found so remarkable comrades.
"Pirate King?" Sick glanced incredulously at the colossal figure and instinctively asked, "Big Bro Straw Hat Boy, is he talking about you...?"
"Yeah, that's ."
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" Luffy declared with absolute confidence.
After saying this, Luffy, transford into his dream-like state, instantly vanished from his spot.
Clearly, he had gone to iser's side to find Moria.
"Hey, wait for us to go together—"
"You guys head to the building to find the marriage-seeking woman. Leave this place to us."
Hearing Luffy's brimming confidence, the group exchanged glances and muttered, "What do we do? Listen to him?"
"Big Bro iser said earlier that we should stay here..."
"Idiot! Big Bro iser said we're staying to protect these Shadows!"
"But now the Shadows are already with Big Bro Straw Hat Boy. Staying here is pointless."
"Then we—"
"Of course, we go find the captain! Don't stay here and get in the way of the two big bros!"
If they lingered, they might interfere with the battle.
Even though the two colossal figures weren't heading this way now, Sick knew exactly why.
Big Bro iser had repeatedly stepped in, forcefully driving that giant back!!
Otherwise, who knew if that behemoth would co charging over?
With a height of dozens of ters, a single step could crush them flat.
"Let's go!"
"Right!"
"Pi... Pirate King...?"
Moria's body staggered back uncontrollably, as if struck by so invisible blow.
In his opponent's eyes, was he truly so worthless, while that Straw Hat Boy was destined to beco the Pirate King?
At this thought, an uncontrollable rage erupted from Moria's heart.
"Brat, since you refuse, don't bla for being ruthless!!"
If his offer was rejected, then there was nothing left to say.
Today, he would personally crush this arrogant brat who didn't know his place!!
With a cold snort, Moria's Shadow twisted before darting into Oars' belly with a whoosh—a sight that even left iser montarily stunned.
"Shadow Dancer!"
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, Moria on the ground was replaced by his Shadow.
Seeing this, iser imdiately understood—this was the trick Moria had used to deceive him earlier.
And now... had he fled into Oars' stomach?
"So that's it... special modifications, huh?" iser sneered. "But too bad—Oars can't protect you!"
As he spoke, iser raised his arm and delivered a crushing punch downward.
"Shadow Spear!!"
The Shadow on the ground morphed into a slender spear, shooting straight for iser's lower body.
"Bastard!"
iser's pupils contracted as he instinctively pulled back, quickly putting distance between them.
After confirming he was unhard, iser opened his shark-like mouth and cursed, "Moria, you bastard, playing dirty tricks?!"
When he was fighting Oars, he hadn't even aid for that spot. Yet Moria, this bastard, resorted to underhanded tactics?!
As iser retreated, the Grass Sword embedded in Oars began to shrink like a deflating balloon.
Feeling the pressure lift, Oars imdiately scrambled to his feet.
"Ooooh!"
"Freedom at last!"
"Gehihihihi!"
The special cloth on Oars' stomach suddenly opened, revealing Moria sitting inside—clearly, this was a pre-prepared tactical position!
After manipulating his own shadow to rge with Oars', Moria sneered, "Kid, what do you think a pirate's battle is about?"
"As long as you win, any thod is fair ga!"
Losing his pride?
Being called a coward?
Did any of that matter?
As long as he could defeat his enemies, as long as he could amass more powerful Zombies, as long as... he could defeat Kaido!!
If it ant avenging his fallen comrades by killing that bastard, he'd gladly descend into hell!!
At this mont, Moria's eyes were bloodshot, his expression bordering on madness.
"You're right. A pirate's fight should be exactly like that," iser said darkly. "The thod doesn't matter."
Just like a Ninja's mission—only the kill mattered, not the process.
"Whoosh—"
As iser spoke, the sword lodged in Oars was flung away, shrinking midair back to its original size.
"Brat, I don't know what's up with that sword, but... without a weapon, you're no match for us!"
"Go, Oars! Crush him!"
"Why should I—"
Oars' words abruptly cut off as his expression twisted.
"That voice... Master? Is that you?"
"That's right, it's ! Gehihihihi!" Moria cackled triumphantly. "So you finally recognize ."
"Kill him, Oars!"
Clearly, Oars' excess mories had vanished—now he was nothing but Moria's loyal servant.
This change delighted Moria beyond asure.
"Understood, Master!" Oars roared. "I'll destroy him!"
"ROAR!!"
"mories erased, huh..." iser muttered.
So this was how Moria secured his obedient Zombie subordinates. After so ti, the Shadows forgot their past, becoming utterly devoted.
Glancing at the Grass Sword about to hit the ground, iser narrowed his eyes. "Guess I'll have to fight in base form..."
Before he could finish, a figure shot from the distance, snatching the weapon midair with precision.
Then, landing behind Oars, he bellowed, "One-Sword Style: Rhino Slash!!"
"CLANG!!"
The sheer force of the blow sent Oars staggering to his knees, his body lurching uncontrollably toward iser.
"ISER!!" Luffy shouted.
Glancing at the Luffy floating mid-air, iser paused for a mont before grinning as if realizing sothing.
"Understood, Captain!"
Luffy's current state was likely due to Sick's Shadow... That blue-skinned appearance made him look just like a nightmare.
Then... let's call him Nightmare Luffy!!
Watching Oars approach closer, iser raised his right arm, muscles bulging.
"Moria, let show you the bond between us!"
"Recruit ?"
"Maybe in your next life!"
"BAM!!"
An incredibly heavy fist slamd hard into Oars' chin, sending the giant flying through sheer force.
At that mont, Luffy stretched his arm to grab iser from afar, catapulting himself onto iser's shoulder.
After glancing at Oars soaring through the air, iser and Luffy exchanged looks before bursting into laughter:
"Let's go together, Luffy!"
"Right!"
"Bastards!!"
Inside Oars' body, Moria's face twisted with rage. What were these two doing? Putting on so kind of friendship performance?
"Oars!!"
"Sorry Master, I can't move!!"
"Dammit..."
Hearing Oars' helplessness, Moria's expression darkened.
Soon, gravity took effect, and Oars began descending from the sky. This caused Moria to gradually float upward, forcing him to grab his seat to avoid being thrown out by Oars' movent.
"In that case, I'll just have to..."
Before Moria could finish, two figures—one large, one small—appeared mid-air.
"You!!"
Denying Moria any chance to speak, iser and Luffy each delivered a powerful punch to Oars' body!
"Violence Horun!"
"BAM!!"
The overwhelming force of their combined attack sent the massive body flying toward the sea.
Inside Oars, Moria turned pale as the ocean grew nearer.
"Damn you!!"
Hearing Moria's roar, the two in mid-air exchanged glances before laughing heartily.
"Taste that? That's our Combined Ultimate Technique!"
"Hahahaha."
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